The Real Diaper Association

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Did you know that the Real Diaper Association celebrates 10 years of supporting cloth diaper advocacy this year? We would like to celebrate this milestone by sharing more about how and why the RDA does what it does. I encourage you to visit RealDiaperEvents.org frequently over the remainder of 2014 to learn about our Real Diaper Circle Leader training, our founders and volunteers, ongoing projects, community outreach, how being part of the RDA has helped volunteers in other aspects of their lives, cloth diaper education, other related non-profits, donors, ongoing projects, RDA fundraising and how that money has been spent to advocate for the use of cloth diapers!

I find the Real Diaper Association to be a special and unique organization. The RDA was founded by Lori Taylor and was built with the understanding that in order to have volunteers that functioned well together and could be trusted to hear the needs of those interested in using cloth diapers without alienating them or stomping on their feelings, a powerful communication tool would be needed.

Prior to launching the RDA, Lori had been asked to hold communication training by the administrators of a mothering forum board where communication had gotten out of control. We often see this happen (especially on the internet) when sensitive parenting topics come up in discussions. Parenting is a touchy subject and no one likes to think they are doing it wrong! Discussing parenting topics requires compassion, clarity, the ability to be firm without apology and without labels, so that the parent expressing a need doesn’t feel attacked or judged but, instead, understands that advocates are available to listen to their needs and find the tools parents require to meet their parenting needs.

The founding board members of the RDA knew that if they were going to send advocates out into local communities as RDA representatives, they would need to prepare them with tools to:

make observations (not judgments) without stomping on the feelings of others

hear a person’s feelings and understand their own feelings

hear a person’s needs and be able to voice their own needs

hear a person’s request – even when that request isn’t clearly stated

clarify needs and requests when needed

make requests so that mutual goals and personal needs can be met

and, finally, to be compassionate in their advocacy work

Janice trying on her giraffe ears (listening from the heart) at NVC training

While there are several tools available to accomplish these goals, the RDA choose to use the book Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD, in their training. Did Lori and the other founding board members have any idea that using a tool like compassionate communication would help the RDA function as well as it does? Did they know that many of their volunteers would continue to be a part of the RDA long past the time their own children were in diapers because of the friendly and professional atmosphere created by such strong communication tools? They didn’t realize how compassionate communication would reach into every interaction, making the Real Diaper Association a truly special grassroots organization – at least, that’s how I feel about it!

Sincerely,

Janice Roodsari

Janice Roodsari, is a Real Diaper Circle Leader teaching free cloth diapering classes to her community monthly. She is an RDA Board Member, wife, stay at home mother to twins, registered nurse and is currently in training to become a certified birth educator.

Looking for evidence-based recommendations on how to handle your cloth diapers in the presence of a yeast infection? So are we! So the Real Diaper Association launched a series of experiments over the past year and a half to learn more. The research is ongoing, but here are our findings so far – - and information about how YOU can help as a citizen scientist!

Step One: Getting yeast onto the diapers

Through the generosity of some Candida albicans researchers, we have a supply of yeast that we keep alive on agar plates. We seed clean cloth diapers with yeast from the plates and let the yeast grow on the diapers (adding apple juice to feed the yeast) for four days before washing (to mimic real life diaper usage).

Step Two: Washing/drying diapers with additives for testing

The goal of the tests is to determine how environmentally-safer alternatives compare to chlorine bleach in ridding the diapers of yeast. The constant process was the RDA wash routine, http://realdiapers.org/wash, with machine drying (to limit the bacterial contamination of our result interpretation). Once the diapers were washed and dried, they were swabbed on agar plates. After 3 days, the plates were read for results.

Using ½ cup chlorine bleach (positive control), no yeast grew on the plates. Using the RDA wash routine with no detergent (negative control), lots of yeast colonies grew on all fabrics. The additives tested were added to drum after detergent was added at the beginning of the cycle:

tea tree oil (brand: Tea Tree Therapy, amount: 1 t*),

grapefruit seed extract (brand: Solaray, amount: 1t – 2t*),

nonchlorine oxygen bleach (brand: Oxyclean, amount: 5t)

*NOTE: These additive amounts were used in a non-HE toploader, which uses a lot of water (33+ gallons per load). Perhaps using an HE machine with less dilution would allow you to use a smaller amount, because this is a lot (1t ~ 120 drops).

Step Three: Evaluating results

Results by fabric, evaluated 3 days after drying:

Qualifying results

These results are specific to a single machine (brand: Hotpoint, top-loader) in a single location using (hard) well water in southern California. The liquid detergent used was Seventh Generation, and the brands of tested additives are included above.

Recommendations

While we’d love to base recommendations for washing your cloth diapers based on these recommendations, the fact is thatour results are seriously limited. These tests were designed with the assistance of professional microbiologists and mycologists, who also trained our citizen scientists, but were conducted outside of a laboratory by volunteers. These results are a great base for further research, but should not be considered conclusive.

Invitation: Have enough extra space to house a card table? Time and inclination to do some extra loads of laundry and use some fun equipment like agar plates, latex gloves, Bunsen burners, and inoculation loops? If so, please see below…

Important reminders

When trying to decide how to handle your baby’s rash, first make sure that you’re dealing with yeast by having your pediatrician test for it. Other culprits like ammonia can often cause a rash but be misdiagnosed as a yeast infection without a positive culture for candida. Candida albicans doesn’t form spores so if you’re seeing a rash return after bleaching your diapers (and rinsing them well!), you either have a problem other than yeast or you need to address the systemic problem that is leading to recurring yeast overgrowth. Handling systemic Candida problems should include an evaluation of diet and overall gut health. Once your child has been diagnosed with a yeast infection, your health professional should give you guidance on how to restore balance to your child’s system.

Our next steps

These are the follow-on tests we’ll be conducting after evaluating our initial results.

Try adding tea tree oil to detergent and mixing well before adding to wash to help oil disperse better.

Try using less (¼ cup) chlorine bleach.

Try using more (¼ cup) Oxyclean.

Switch to oxygenated bleach and try that instead of Oxyclean (such as Biokleen).

Test boiling diapers at 60C for 2 minutes (which should be 99.9% lethal for Candida albicans).

YOUR next steps? Verifying results…

Since our experiments are so limited, it’s difficult to verify how consistent they’d be under different conditions. These are the tests we’d like to see performed by more volunteers.

Retry these tests on other machines, in other locations, using other detergents.

Retry these tests with line drying to make certain it remains the same.

P.S. Special kudos and thanks go to Liam W., our citizen scientist / intern in Ramona, CA. Liam is a high school student who has learned a LOT about microbiology experiments over the past couple of years and has handled the past year of tests under the guidance of our volunteer experts.

On April 26, 2014 at 11 am, 8,459 babies with 8,459 parents set a new world record for the most babies changed into a reusable diaper at the same time. The official Guinness World Record is for the “Most people changing diapers in 24 hours (multiple venues).” It was achieved by the Great Cloth Diaper Change (USA) across 18 countries on 6 continents.

Sixteen thousand nine hundred and eighteen (16,918) babies and caregivers officially participated; most events were run by several volunteers and many featured local vendors and cloth diaper retailers and manufacturers. Add that to the on-lookers who attended the events to support friends and family, and you have tens of thousands of people attending and supporting the Great Cloth Diaper Change in 2014.

In addition to the official Guinness World Record qualifying locations, we also had many events that came together to participate but did not meet the Guinness requirements. The overall total was 270 events in 20 countries for a total of 9,770 baby/caregiver pairs coming together on one day to raise cloth diaper awareness!

This is a small sample of the way the Great Cloth Diaper Change increased awareness about cloth diapers.

First Timers at GCDC Events World-wide

The author interviewed six Great Cloth Diaper Change participants from different locations who changed their baby into a 100% reusable diaper for the first time at the 2014 event.

““Wait wait!” someone cried out, “we have a first time changer here!” Happy titters and giggles rustled through the crowd. We waited another 30 seconds for the last participant to finish changing her baby, then altogether we held our little ones high up into the air for the after photo… “

The author comes to surprising conclusions and calls for further actions from Great Cloth Diaper Change 2015 hosts at the end of the article.

Oklahoma City Breaks New Record

This post spotlights those GCDC participants who changed a cloth diaper for the first time at the Oklahoma City event and the impact it made on the participants personally as well as the potential future impact.

“Every person I spoke with began using cloth diapers after their experience at The Great Cloth Diaper Change. That is why we volunteer our time for the event. …there will be approximately 28,000 less disposable diapers sitting in an Oklahoma City landfill for 500 years. Multiple that times the dozen plus “first timers” at our event and the potential subsequent people they will tell about their experience. Significant cannot begin to accurately describe the impact made on April 26, 2014.”

Admiring the Grass Roots

The author, Executive Director of the Real Diaper Association, reflects on the volunteers at her local event and the hundreds of volunteers who help around the world to make The Great Cloth Diaper Change possible.

“For the last four years, I’ve been lucky enough to work with hundreds ofvolunteersaround the world to create an annual grassroots event that highlights cloth diapering. (Just appreciate that for a moment!) This is the heart of the cloth diaper movement: parents spreading the word to other parents about how they can benefit from using cloth diapers…I left that day absolutely overwhelmed with how willing every single person was to help in whatever way they were able.If in doubt about the goodness of people, ask them to help. It’s truly humbling to see how much people will give when asked.”

The Great Cloth Diaper Change 2014 re-cap and reflections

The Cloth Diaper Geek discusses the impact made when even one cloth diaper is used per day. She also discusses the importance of participation in the Great Cloth Diaper Change, how it IS making a difference and is vital to the growth of the cloth diaper industry.

“From the total newbie attendee who didn’t even own a cloth diaper yet to the seasoned veteran, each Great Cloth Diaper Change event proves one thing, cloth does matter, people do care, and we are changing the world and the future.”

GCDC Philippines’ Guinness attempt

This blog touches on a local event held in the Philippines and notes the partnerships formed with local businesses, mommy groups, and volunteers to make the Great Cloth Diaper Change possible.

“With this activity, we hope that we have put the thought of using cloth diapers in a Filipino family’s consciousness. Every disposable diaper that remains unused and not thrown in the landfill is a step closer to a 100% cloth diapering Philippines.”

Great Cloth Diaper Change 2014

Australia had six Great Cloth Diaper Change event locations. This blog focuses on the local event in Melbourne and has a heartwarming video attached. My favorite part of the video (besides the adorable babies) is seeing why families in Melbourne are choosing reusable diapers.

“It was a great day, and we want to thank all the parents who made the effort to come along…”

Phillip Island GCDC 2014

Not every location qualified for the Guinness World Record total, but every location counts, and every location made a big difference to raise awareness for reusable diapers. This video from Phillip Island Australia highlights the 24 families who made a difference and the local businesses and volunteers who made the event possible.

More News Coverage from Around the World

Looking ahead to 2015

Save the date! Next year’s Great Cloth Diaper Change — the 5th annual GCDC — will take place on Saturday, April 18, 2015. Join the mailing list on the webpage to receive event information when it becomes available.

For 24 hours on Tuesday, May 6th (Pacific Time), donations to the Real Diaper Association (of $25 or more, paid by Visa, Mastercard or AMEX) will be (partially) matched by the San Diego Foundation! Please help on May 6th

Access for new parents to a community of cloth diaperers: Real Diaper Circle Leaders are trained in nonviolent communication (NVC) to support families with evidence-based information on cloth diapering.

Having just finished verifying the unofficial results from hosts to submit to Guinness to claim our NEW WORLD RECORD, I finally have a minute to breathe after the 2014 Great Cloth Diaper Change. And this post has been writing itself in my mind all week, so…

For the last four years, I’ve been lucky enough to work with hundreds of volunteers around the world to create an annual grassroots event that highlights cloth diapering. (Just appreciate that for a moment!)

This is the heart of the cloth diaper movement:

parents spreading the word to other parents about how they can benefit from using cloth diapers.

These are not huge events – maybe 35 participants on average. But the impact of those events spreads far beyond the participants, well into their communities, both through word-of-mouth and, in many cases, through local news coverage.

Every year, there are reports from hosts about poorly-mannered individuals who approach the events grubbing for free gear. And the cloth diaper world has a limited tolerance for this as many small businesses and blogs use giveaways and freebies to grab attention all year long and are therefore unable to continue to feed these expectations sustainably for this growing event. I am sympathetic to this as we need our industry to survive in order to keep the practice of cloth diapering alive.

But I can’t help but see the bigger picture of THOUSANDS of people going out of their way to make this event a success – from the babies on up! And even if each host had 5 people complain (and that’s a huge overestimate based on the many conversations I’ve had with hosts over the years), that’s still a drop in the bucket. This year alone, we had HUNDREDS of events in TWENTY-TWO countries on SIX continents, all celebrating cloth diapers. With that perspective in mind, it makes it easier for me to take the complaints that inevitably happen with any event.

My local experience also reflects this. Despite the one participant who was vocal in her complaints (AGAIN this year — she’s complained at past events, too!) this was another AMAZING year.

- I’ve had the advantage of co-hosting with Julia Smith (Haute Mommy) for the last four years. (Notably, Julia has also volunteered her skills to the overall GCDC Organizing Committee for the last few years).- At our event this year, I arrived to find the doors just opening and five or six mothers (with babies in carriers) helping Julia bring things in from her car and set things up.- One of our San Diego Real Diaper Circle Leaders, Priscilla Parra, set up a Real Diaper Association / San Diego Real Diaper Circle table and started consulting with parents immediately — nearly 20% of our 120 participants were brand-new to cloth diapering, so Priscilla was BUSY!- Grandma Jeannie and her daughter handled the t-shirt sales, two pregnant mamas handled the registration table, and various fathers were recruited to create the changing space with tables and ropes.- Our attendees contributed two enormous boxes of cloth diaper donations. (One sweet woman forgot her single diaper donation and walked a half mile back to her car with a toddler and a baby on her back to bring it back to donate!)- Mona Weiss (EcoNuts) volunteered as emcee.- My dear sister, who has no kids yet herself, volunteered for her FOURTH Great Cloth Diaper Change — this time with her boyfriend, who was critical to the checkin process happening in a timely manner.- Two of our four witnesses have volunteered to help multiple years – - and we had backups also willing to step in if we needed them!- Carolyn Russell (Padded Tush Stats) made herself generally useful all day in every possible way (including witnessing the event), and was the last to leave.

I mention all these people because I left that day absolutely overwhelmed with how willing every single person was to help in whatever way they were able. If in doubt about the goodness of people, ask them to help. It’s truly humbling to see how much people will give when asked. In fact, my recommendations for improving the event next year will start with involving more volunteers earlier in the process. People want to give — and rarely complain when they do so.

Am I tired? Incredibly so. It’s been another wild ride! But I’m also inspired and rejuvenated by the energy of all of YOU who continue to help more families to cloth diaper.

Thank you sincerely for lending your time, skills, and energy to this movement.

Janelle Allen-Cavanaugh is a first time host in Goodyear, Arizona who has demonstrated awesome graphics abilities and has lots of fresh new ideas. We interviewed her to see how the planning is going and what her experience with GCDC has been like so far.

About the event: It is located in Goodyear, in the far west valley in Arizona. Janelle is a first time host, hosting alone but has recruited several volunteers to assist. She is hosting under her company Rescued Rumps (www.rescuedrumps.com). She currently has 53 preregistered participants but is hoping for 100. The event will be held at Goodyear Community Park. Nearby is the farmers market, community art walk, and splash pad so she is really encouraging the event as a whole family day. She does have some vendors at the event who are allowed to advertise but not sell products due to restrictions placed by the farmers market. She has a lot of community involvement from businesses and families.

Promoting the event: Janelle used some “You’ve been spotted with a baby” fliers and stuffed them between packages of diapers at the store. She has utilized social media through her facebook page with tags and links to supporters. She has done “sneak peeks” of prizes and offered small prizes for preregistered participants.

Why hosting is great: When asked what people are most excited about, they have responded “Meeting you and other cloth using families!” People are excited to be having an event nearby and are expressing a lot of thanks to her for hosting.

Handling sponsors: Janelle sent out lots of email blasts to companies that were sponsoring giveaways on their sites or that she thought were relevant to the event. She made sure to send the emails so they were waiting in their inbox at 6am. They are providing her with coupons, fliers, samples, and prizes. She has been tagging and linking all supporters on her facebook page. She is also planning to take pictures of winners with their prizes and send them to the companies so they can see where their products ended up. She also made a large banner and small brochures for participants highlighting each sponsors logo. She did have a deadline to be included in the brochure which encouraged early commitments from vendors.

To find a Great Cloth Diaper Change event near you, please visit the website. We need your babies to be able to break the world record – - and we promise a fun time for all!

Cloth diaper education is vital to Ju-Ju Monkey. To borrow from discussions involving the RDA, what we really sell is cloth diapering - the action, not cloth diapers – the product. Of course we sell cloth diapers, however cloth diapers are not something you can take off a shelf and just use. You need to know how to care for them properly. A big box store employee can’t offer that type of service. However Ju-Ju Monkey and your local cloth diaper retailer can! Also if you are having difficulty for any reason, Ju-Ju Monkey will support you to troubleshoot your issues (leaks, laundering, etc)

How frequently do you teach cloth diapering classes in your community? What types of classes do you teach?

Ju-Ju Monkey is currently teaching about 5 classes a week for School of Cloth. That will probably change to about 2 a week thereafter. We offer

Cloth 101, which is everything you ever wanted to know about cloth diapers...but were afraid to ask!

Wonders of Wool Workshop covers one of the easiest cloth diapering cover options available. Wool is ideal because it’s super breathable, antimicrobial, antibacterial, antifungal, and remarkably waterproof while absorbing up to 30% of its weight in moisture.

Laundry Science is important because many factors come into play that cause variations in laundering for different families. In this class we go over some basic laundry science and help you to understand how to troubleshoot your diapers when problems arise.

Do you have a favorite memory about a class or family that you taught?

My favorite memory is of a family who was so frustrated with cloth diaper laundry that they were about to give up all together. Reason being, they couldn’t figure out what they were doing wrong and it was causes blistering rashes. The mom came to me almost in tears because the rest of the family became turned off to cloth altogether. After talking with her and asking the right questions, I was able to give a few suggestions on how to alter her wash routine. Within a week they resolved their problem and continued to successfully use cloth diapers until potty training 2 years later!

What's your favorite piece of advice to give NEW parents about cloth diapering?

Not to get overwhelmed in the information out there. As with everything in life, it is best to keep it simple. There are a lot of acronyms and new words used between cloth diapering families. None of that really matters when you are starting out. Every diaper can be broken down into two parts: the absorbent part and the waterproof part. So when comparing diaper A to diaper B, ask yourself what makes this diaper absorbent and what makes it waterproof. The rest is bells and whistles. If it starts to get overwhelming, just buy one of a few different variations before making a big purchase. That way you have a better idea of what you are looking at.

Ju-Ju Monkey is a family owned business specializing in cloth diapering, babywearing and natural baby care. Our philosophy is firmly rooted in the belief that healthy lifestyle choices extend to baby and family. Today more and more people are choosing to live and eat healthy, so choosing baby products that do not contain harmful chemicals and additives is naturally the next step. With over 3 years of experience successfully matching customers with healthy natural products, you can be assured that making the right choice for your family is literally at your fingertips. Ju-Ju Monkey is committed to providing the knowledge and understanding necessary to make educated choices when it comes to your family.

Recently, we had an opportunity to interview Betsy Thomas from Bummis in Montreal. Bummis has made cloth diapers for the past 25 years according to their unwavering vision: "to make high-quality, affordable and easy-to-use cloth diapers, and to educate and infuse parents with our passion for them." They also have a retail store serving their local Montreal community. Bummis donated $500 of cloth diaper products to the School of Cloth event, much of which will be donated to charities who distribute cloth diapers to low-income families.

RDA: How would you describe your business and its place in your community?

BT: Bummis was the first attachment parenting store in Montreal – before anyone really knew what an attachment parenting store was! We run it as if our clients are invited guests in our home. It’s a lovely, comfortable space where new and expectant parents come to learn in a completely non-pressured environment about our big 3; cloth diapers, babywearing and breastfeeding. We sell really fantastic products and the staff is extremely knowledgeable about them. We don’t practice hard selling – we just try to help people to make the best choice for them. We provide lots of information and resources in a very non-judgmental atmosphere, but we are passionate advocates of attachment parenting.

RDA: How important a task is cloth diaper education to your business?

BT: It is probably the MOST important thing we do in our business. We sell more cloth diapers than anything else in our store, and so we try to ensure that people are well prepared and will be successful at using and washing them.

RDA: Do you have a favorite memory about a class or family that you taught?

BT: I was hanging out in the store one day eavesdropping as one of my employees was teaching a lovely young couple (very pregnant) about cloth diapers. The dad was asking very precise and perceptive questions about storage and washing, and had some great and novel ideas about how to organize a cloth diaper changing station. I was pretty fascinated and finally jumped into the conversation. I said it sounded like an engineer approaching cloth diapering – and he laughed and said he was an engineer, but was currently playing music instead for a living. So I commiserated a bit with them both about combining a family with a career in music, as my husband is a musician and it wasn’t easy when my kids were growing up – late nights, travelling, the uncertainty, etc… We had a fun conversation and then I went upstairs to my office. After they left my staff called me and said they realized that I hadn’t known who I was talking to….and that it was actually 2 members of Arcade Fire (Montreal’s own, by the way!). I was SO embarrassed – haven’t gotten over it yet.

BT: Take some time to get accustomed to your new diapering system, and don’t be afraid to play around with the folding and fastening, etc. If you are starting out with a newborn, put them into newborn sized cloth diapers right from the start, as you will find they fit well and are VERY easy to use. Also cloth diapers are healthy and comfortable for fragile newborn skin. If you are making the switch to cloth diapers from disposable diapers, you may experience a period of adjustment at first. Some families find that when making this switch, mixing your cloth diapering system with disposables in the beginning (for outings or overnight) can make this transition easier. Go ahead – don’t fret about it! Take the time you need to wrap your head around this change. Most parents find that using and washing cloth diapers is way easier than they thought it would be, and quickly become avid full time users.

It's been so active lately at RDA that I needed to take a break this evening while my husband was at hockey and the kids are in bed to tell you about all the amazing work being done behind-the-scenes by Real Diaper Association volunteers. Because RDA is not some faceless entity. It's a goal to which many people are contributing. And they should be recognized for the part they're playing. And maybe you can be inspired to add your strengths to the effort. Here's Part 1 about the School of Cloth.

When I heard about "Real Nappy Week" in England, I was, frankly, jealous. I couldn't believe they were able to pull together an entire industry - an entire MOVEMENT - to spend a whole week educating the people of the country about cloth diapers. WOW! As it turns out, I wasn't the only one who was so inspired. Over the past few years, tens of thousands of people in the US - - and even around the world - - have shown their commitment to our shared goal of increasing the practice of cloth diapering in their communities through their organization of and participation in local Great Cloth Diaper Change events. Many of those people expressed their desire for more opportunities to educate about cloth diapers. The School of Cloth, a month full of cloth diaper education events, came from those desires, and, appropriately, it's happening with the energy of some amazing volunteers and sponsors.

I want to mention sponsors only briefly here. Many readers (like myself) might skip right over a thank you of sponsors, thinking that it's just an obligatory mention. However, I recognize that our donors give with their hearts to this shared mission, and the fact that they have the courage and generosity to match that gift with their wallets makes me sincerely grateful. Their enthusiasm for and commitment to the School of Cloth really set it up for success. The volunteers below are carrying it through...

Janice Roodsari - Janice, a Real Diaper Circle Leader from Ventura, CA, volunteered to "help" with social media for the School of Cloth - - and wound up running a major social media campaign. We've co-written some things about cloth diapering and she's so engaged in all of our conversations that she has developed into a trusted writer for an organization that is very careful with our words. Janice is posting or organizing us in all our Facebook posts this month. Notice how active we've been? Janice knows what the Real Diaper Association has to offer the world and she's making it visible to the people who need it.

Cheri Chapman and Lisa Dunne - Lisa is a new volunteer who offered her marketing skillset toward our mission. We started talking about social media just before School of Cloth started and really solidified the vision for a social media calendar. Cheri has also been more recently engaged and her enthusiasm for a highly engaged social media presence made that vision even more grandiose - - but still do-able. Of course, Cheri offered her assistance in executing the vision she helped to grow and Lisa will be analyzing our work afterwards to help us develop a solid, usable longer term social media plan. Janice is thanking them both - ha!

Calley Pate and Kelly's Closet - Calley's record for ALWAYS helping when asked -- and in a big way -- remains unbroken with this project. The vision of online education to match the in-person education happening from our School of Cloth hosts seemed best coordinated through a blog ring where we could bring together all the brightest voices on the topic to really reach cloth diapering deeply into our communities. Calley put the blog ring all together, spread the word, and continues to lead it on new topics each week. And Kelly's Closet? When one person (who shall remain unnamed - ahem, gulp) neglected to consider the actual costs of shipping all the cloth diaper donations out to winners and charities, Calley asked and long-time RDA supporter Bobbi-Jean Palmer immediately sent us PayPal funds.

Bloggers Participating in the School of Cloth Blog Ring - Each of them take hours of their week to offer their best advice and wisdom to help more families find and use reusable cloth diapers. AND to "linky" them into the ring. The last of which I am quite certain I would not be able to do.

Amber Lawrence-Whitted and Julie Ham - Amber and Julie, co-leaders of the Real Diaper Circle of Wayne County, NC, have received the thousands of dollars of donations from our sponsors (can you imagine how much space $5000 worth of cloth diapering supplies might take up?), photographed it all, and thanked the sponsors. But their job isn't done - - now they'll have to repackage it for winners and for the cloth diaper charities that the winners chose, package it up, and ship it all back out again. And not lose anything. With kids around. This would not happen in my house.

Priscilla Román and Amy Bloss-Rodgers - Amy's the leader of the Low Country Real Diaper Circle and Priscilla is training to join her. Priscilla is taking all the host information from EventBrite (where they register to participate) and putting it into map markers so that it appears on the School of Cloth page for families to find -- then making all the required changes requested by hosts. Amy is adding those hosts to a Facebook group and supporting them with anything they need to run new and exciting classes in their communities this month. She adds such value in this role, sharing her experience with the wide variety of classes that she and local volunteers run in their Circle every month.

Cindi Effenberger - Another leader in training, Cindi is handling the daily intake of participant submissions to the drawing, including making sure we have safe backups. This role is crucial to maintaining the integrity of the overall event, so Cindi's prompt attention to detail is incredibly valued.

Forty-one School of Cloth Hosts - All these volunteers across the US and Canada are planning and running classes in their community -- teaching in the School of Cloth on the ground. I can't wait to see the pictures from these events (coming soon, says Janice and Cheri!)! This is what some of us are doing together this week on one project to facilitate more cloth diapering. Watch this space to find out what others are doing. Join your talents here.

Recently, we had an opportunity to interview Stefanie Bye from Planet Bambini in Bakersfield, CA. Planet Bambini offers cloth diapering and baby wearing support and advice, as well as making top of the line products available to their local consumers. Stefanie is also an accredited Real Diaper Circle Leader and founder of the Bakersfield Real Diaper Circle. Planet Bambini donated $500 of cloth diaper products to the School of Cloth event, much of which will be donated to charities who distribute cloth diapers to low-income families.

School of Cloth event at Planet Bambini

1. How would you describe your business and its place in your community?

SB: Planet Bambini is a gathering place for natural minded parents in the Central Valley of California. We offer classes and products that can be difficult to find in this area. I support and connect families with cloth diapering through the Bakersfield Real Diaper Circle. We also facilitate a cloth diaper bank organized by a major diaper manufacture to provide cloth diapers and education to those who could not afford it otherwise.

2. How important a task is cloth diaper education to your business?

SB: Cloth diaper education is one of the founding principles of our business. We provide several classes to aid our local customer along their cloth diaper journey. When we started Planet Bambini we wanted to see more local babies in cloth diapers. The only way to do that was to get the word out about how awesome they are and the proper ways to use and take care of them so they stay awesome. Cloth diapering can be very simple, but without skill and information it can also be very frustrating. We want people to love their diapers as much as we do.

4. Do you have a favorite memory about a class or family that you taught?

SB: I still remember the first wool class I taught when we moved the store into a industrial office location, just to see if the community would support a brick and mortar. Although they were wool novices the night of the class, the attendees of that class are now some of the most experienced wool users in our circle. Out of the eight participants, six switched to wool as their full time diaper cover (some children are no longer in diapers). Out of the other two, both still use cloth diapers, one uses wool intermittently and the other prefers PUL. The people in that class have become friends and now assist in teaching the wool classes we offer from time to time. Although we joked that night that people should wear name tags with their profile pictures, many have gone on to become friends in “real life.” I think cloth diapering and classes provide a stronger community through a shared interest.